It is starting to warm up here in Botswana. We are now entering spring. I’m starting to get a little concerned by all the reports about how hot it gets here. Apparently, by late September and October, it is uncomfortably hot and you just sweat all the time. We are trying to mentally prepare ourselves, as I have noticed that the temperature goes up almost a degree each day. Apparently, with the coming heat, then the rains in Dec./Jan., we will see a lot more creatures- some we want to see, some we don’t (like puff addlers and mambas). Apparently, there will be tons of birds and also chameleons, which I’m really excited about.
A couple of weeks ago, Richard attended a program called Taking Services to the People. It is a program in our district where different departments go to each village in the district and bring services that people may have difficulty accessing because of transportation, etc. It normally lasts about 17-18 days and the staff camps in the villages each night. Richard only attended the first few days, to bring HIV/AIDS information and to help the DAC Monitoring & Evaluation officer, because we wanted to attend my counterpart’s wedding which was some distance away.
Last weekend, we traveled with the Home Economics officer Gomolemo from my department, her husband, and her baby to my counterpart Pretty’s wedding. We had a really good time. We also got to see some friends while we were there. It was interesting to see the wedding customs unique to the area where my counterpart comes from in Northern Botswana. For example, she is supposed to keep her eyes lowered during the day. Also, she puts a cup of water on her head, which her new father-in-law drinks from. When that is finished, the cup is used for friends and family, as they dance around the couple, to put money in.
In most of Botswana, there are several stages in the marriage process. First, the brideprice is paid. The paying of the brideprice (lobola) is still very widespread. I’m told that the average price is 10 cows, although this price varies by region and local custom. After the brideprice has been paid, the couple will go to a local official to sign papers so they become legally married. After this (usually the next day), there will be what can be compared to a wedding reception in the bride’s home village. Anyone can come to this reception and eat- there are rarely official invitations. A week or two later, there will be another “reception” in the groom’s home village.
Richard and I just spend the last two days in Maun for a workshop. We saw some other Peace Corps volunteers while we were there so we got to hang out with them, which was fun. Richard will leave next weekend for a ten day Peace Corps training, then I will go the weekend -Peace Corps split our Bots7 group up so we come in two different shifts.
We now have another Peace Corps volunteer in Gumare, which we are happy about. She was supposed to be here originally, but her site got changed right after we were sworn in. Since her housing fell through at that site, they were able to find housing here in Gumare (after a long, somewhat complicated process). She will now be at the local HIV testing and counseling center. Welcome!!
An account of our time in the Peace Corps in Botswana
About Us
- Richard and Stacy
- New York, NY
- Richard and Stacy have been married since June 2003. They will be serving in the Peace Corps in Botswana from June 2008-June 2010 (with in country training from April - June 2008). Richard's assignment is working with a District AIDS Coordinator and Stacy's assignment is Community Capacity Building for HIV/AIDS Project in Home-based Care and Orphan Care/Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission.
LINKS OF INTEREST
About Botswana and the Peace Corps
According to the BBC's country profile, "Botswana, one of Africa's most stable countries, is the continent's longest continuous multi-party democracy. It is relatively free of corruption and has a good human rights record. It is also the world's larger producer of diamonds and the trade has transformed it into a middle-income nation. Botswana is trying to reduce its economic dependence on diamonds. Safari-based tourism- tightly-controlled and often upmarket- is an important source of income."
Independence: 1966 (there has been four decades of
uninterrupted civilian rule since)
Capital: Gabarone
President: Khama
Population: 1.9 million (UN, 2007)
Area: 224,607 sq. miles (slightly smaller than Texas)
Major languages: English (official), Setswana
Life expectancy: 40 years (UNAIDS, 2007)
Literacy Rate: 81 percent (CIA Factbook)
According to the CIA Factbook, "Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth slowed to 4.7% in 2006-2007. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. HIV/AIDS infections are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains."
According to PEPFAR, which Includes Botswana as one of its 15 focus countries, "At the household level, families face increasing health expenditures to meet the needs of family members with HIV/AIDS. At the same time, they are experiencing loss of income as productive family members become sick and die. Botswana's workforce is being depleted as many productive adults develop AIDS and are no longer able to work. Between 1999 and 2005, Botswana lost approximately 17 percent of its health care workforce due to AIDS and by 2020 the loss in agricultural labor force could be more than 20 percent. High levels of HIV/AIDS among teachers reduces both the quality of education and the number of hours taught. School enrollment is expected to fall as children drop out of school to care for sick family members, to contribute to household income, or become too sick to attend school. Finally, stigma continues to be an issue that needs to be addressed."
National HIV prevalence rate among adults (15 - 49): 24.1%
Adults and children (0 - 49) living with HIV in 2005: 270,000
AIDS deaths in 2005: 18,000
AIDS orphans at the end of 2005: 120,000
According to the Peace Corps website, Peace Corps started working in Botswana in 1966, but closed the program in 1997 due to the country's economic success. "However, in 1998, the government declared HIV/AIDS a national crisis, and President Mogae dedicated his first five years in office to fighting HIV/AIDS, poverty, and unemployment. The government of Botswana has enlisted the aid of civil society, international agencies, governments, and volunteer organizations to help the Botswana people address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 2003, Peace Corps returned to Botswana. Currently volunteers are:
-Helping build capacity at the district and village levels in HIV/AIDS service organizations
-Assisting in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS prevention activities into development projects
-Providing technical assistance to the government's home-based and orphan care programs
-Helping to promote the prevention of mother-to-child transmission in four selected districts
Disclaimer:
The views/contents included on this website are solely that of Richard Rain and Stacy Wallick. It does not reflect the position or views of the U.S. government, the Peace Corps, or any other persons and organizations.